Secrets Vol 2 Read online

  Lord help her.

  He brushed her hair aside and kissed the back of her neck. Raine cried out in frustration and spun around to face him. He cupped her face in his hands, made her look at him. She sensed the fire in his soul, but it was the flame in his eyes that kept her silent.

  Miguel's gaze moved over her face. "Believe me," he said, his voice low, "if you do not quit fighting and come with me willingly, I will tie and gag you. The choice is yours."

  Raine stared at him.

  He must have read the bafflement in her eyes, for his expression changed to one that clearly showed he was waiting for her answer. "Willing or not that was the question."

  She swallowed hard and refused to cry. "You would truly have me ride a horse bound and gagged?"

  Miguel arched an eyebrow, his look intent. "I will have you ride me bound and gagged if I feel the urge," he said, grabbing Raine's hands in a tight squeeze.

  "Mon Dieu. You are mad."

  The gaze that surveyed her was cold and predatory. Without saying a word Miguel let her know just how much he'd enjoy tying her up and having sex with her.

  Terror seized Raine and she struggled to wrest her hands from his. "Non! You would not dare!"

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  Miguel's lips curled into an unpleasant smile. "You think not? Senorita, you doubt the wrong man." His tone was dangerous. "I will do just as I want with you—whenever and however I please."

  Raine's anger blazed like the center of a red-hot flame and he had to know it because, he said, "If you're on fire, show me."

  "Never!" she cried out in rage and flung herself at him, clawing for his eyes. Miguel snapped his head back but not before the vicious nails raked one cheek, leaving deep furrows that sprang red. New anger seemed to surge through him. With lightning speed he caught both of Raine's wrists and wrenched them behind her.

  He began unbuttoning her torn, dirty blouse, and his dark eyes twinkled in the light of the late afternoon sun, and Raine wanted him to take her, right there where they stood. She pretended she didn't.

  He spread the front of her blouse and laid his palms against the skin between her breasts, his fingers splayed. "I want you, Raine. I want you now."

  She sucked in her breath and closed her eyes for a moment when he eased her blouse out from under the waistband of her skirt and unbuttoned it. Reaching for her camisole, he pulled the delicate fabric upward and ripped it apart so that her breasts were completely bared.

  Raine whimpered when he found her nipples and began stroking them lightly with the rough pads of his thumbs. As he laid the tip of his tongue to the taut buttons, he swore, "I will make you beg for my touch."

  He came up and pressed his body against hers, his knee went between her legs. His sex hard with aggressive male desire, and the hard wall of a boulder pressed its imprint onto Raine's back.

  "Loose me," she demanded, pushing against his chest, just as afraid of her wakening desires as she was of being his virtual prisoner.

  "No," he replied with his mouth a hair's breadth from hers.

  Tears of frustration and indignation sprang from Raine's eyes and ran unbidden down her cheeks as she continued to struggle.

  Miguel kissed her. The smell of a woman always excited him; he

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  loved the sweet rich perfume of Raine's scent. He was already wild with desire, and knowing she reveled in his touch but still intended to fight him, only served to make him want her with an intensity beyond his control. Finally she gave up, exhausted, panting beneath him, pinioned up against the huge boulder despite her struggles. He lowered his bloodstained face to hers and kissed her roughly. Raine jerked her head from side to side but her efforts were futile against such determination and strength. He continued to hold her immobile, caressing her breasts, then her bare white thighs beneath her skirts, forcing her to kiss him, filling her mouth with his thrusting tongue, ravishing her.

  She moaned as his hands reached between her thighs and tore off her drawers and tossed them aside to expose her sex. Miguel held her body immobile as he parted the slick folds with ease. He dipped his finger into her wetness to moisten his finger, then caressed her until her inner muscles tensed and convulsed with the anticipation of the pounding thrust of his harsh erection.

  It was shaking to Raine, being forced, strangely exciting. She shivered at the frisson of sensation that ran through her, the deep, throbbing desire that made her ache for him. But the resentments of being forced still consumed her, and she refused to grant him the satisfaction of responding. She remained inert beneath his touch, knowing that her passivity would anger him far more than anything.

  "I will no longer fight you so get on with it," she commanded him in a whisper.

  "As you wish," he said and wasted no more time. He dropped to his knees and forced her legs apart, exposing her secrets wide open, her sex gaping. He inserted his tongue causing her to draw a swift intake of air. Hot wet flesh against hot wet flesh of a similar yet different kind. The sweet friction his tongue generated as it probed and titillated the soft regions of her bliss grew more intense with each passing moment. Raine cried out with a pleasure that she didn't want to feel and arched in search of his lusty tongue.

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  As if to punish her, Miguel paused at the slick mouth of her pleasure. Raine quivered right before she caught his long raven locks and pulled them. He brought himself up and placing both hands on either side of the rock wall above her shoulders, gazed into her startled blue eyes, and whispered, "Tell me."

  "No," she cried, attempting to cover her exposed throbbing flesh with her skirts.

  She stopped when his hand went to her sensitive organ and stroked it He drew his finger back through her wet folds, moved to leave a trail of moisture in his wake. The shivering tension of Raine's body told him she was beyond ready for him to take her, but he wouldn't. He made her wait. "I know what you want," Miguel said. "Will you still deny it, or will you ask me for it?" '

  “Please."

  Miguel took off his gunbelt and opened his trousers. His sex was massive now as he removed first his boots and then his pants. When he shifted against her the thick heat of his erection pressed against her thigh, and her whole body trembled. He caressed her gently, large, powerful hands lingering over the column of her throat as he slipped his tongue down the length of her ear, sliding down to just graze the tops of her breasts.

  When he lifted his head, Raine was breathless. "Do you wish to be?” he asked.

  She was dazed, confused. "What?"

  "Filled with my flesh. "

  Raine didn't answer, but her lips parted and her head fell back in invitation. Again, he tormented her by stroking her damp, soft crevice, harder this time, almost hurting her with painful pleasure. She made herself wider for him and he moved between her legs. His penis surged against her soft, pulsating flesh and her inner muscles rippled and contracted on the assuaging fullness. However, he allowed her only a small amount of himself, a brief tantalizing taste of the sweet hardness she craved before taking it away.

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  "Please," she begged.

  "Do you want all of me inside of you?"

  Raine caught her breath, faltered, then whispered in defeat, "I want you to be inside me."

  Miguel slipped his hands under her arms, flattened his palms against the flat rock behind her shoulder blades to protect her back and plunged into her, catching her shocked welcome in her mouth. All the while he was kissing her, Raine's body arched in pleasure as Miguel's hips executed a rhythm against hers, his thick shaft prolonging the pulsating waves with the measured thrust of his body. Again and again he repeated the move. She was wild, begging him to stay within the depths a little longer. He brought her to a tumultuous climax before he allowed himself to reach fulfillment.

  As the waves of pleasure died away, Raine was mortified by her body's traitorous desires for this man.

  Raine opened her eyes, appalled that he'd jus
t taken her against a boulder, in the middle of the desert, as if she were no more than a whore. "Now that you are quite finished taking what you wanted from your captive, would you please remove your person from my body?" she whispered brokenly.

  "I did not take anything," Miguel said with measured control. He moved to touch her tear-stained cheek. "You wanted it as much as I did, and asked for it."

  Raine cringed from his touch. He left her quickly and dressed. After she'd righted her skirts, he took a calming breath and tried again. He extended a hand to her.

  "Just leave me alone!" she sobbed, turning away from him.

  Miguel stared at her recumbent form, her unseeing, tear-filled eyes averted from his. It upset him to know that he was the cause of Raine's pain and humiliation, and this guilt was foreign to his nature and upsetting. His revenge had not been what he'd imagined, but the only emotion he could bring himself to identify was anger, which he turned on her.

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  "You have forgotten that I saved your life," he said, "but since I am keeping you.. .I can tell you that being held a prisoner by me is the least of your worries," Miguel finished, looking from her to the vast expanse beyond.

  Raine faced him then and their glances met. Miguel appeared filled with anger and, some strange emotion. Was it regret?

  She hesitated but only for a moment. "I understand perfectly, monsieur. You are not a kidnapper or rapist by trade. You merely hold me captive because you are opportunistic," she said in a clipped, cool voice.

  Miguel flinched. Nerve-racking silence followed while he i struggled to regain control of his emotions, his anger was so great. He felt no reluctance at this point though. "I guess you could put it that way. Regardless of my reasons, the facts remain. If I allow you to leave my company, and my protection, you will be dead, or worse, before the first echo of your screams comes back from the mountains. If the bandits do not get you first, the wolves or coyotes will."

  Raine turned white under her dirt smudged skin, but snapped, "You are just trying to frighten me into subservience!"

  Miguel shrugged his big shoulders. "You can believe me or not. In truth, your presence will cause me considerable trouble, but so far I have been compensated for my troubles." Then he smiled. "As you were so quick to point out, I am not above making the best of a bad situation. Still, you've lived in this country. Sheltered or not, you should know that there are not many white women here that are not whores, or wives of French soldiers. I should think you would be quite a prize. Of course if you want to go out there alone then you're welcome to try."

  Raine shivered. She said nothing; she simply stared at him.

  Miguel realized that he might have gone too far in his anger. Suddenly, she looked so small and frail standing there. He wanted to take her in his arms and hold her. The instinct to protect her was so great. Did she know what she was capable of making him feel? Or was he just imagining things? He told himself that it was no

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  more than he would feel for any woman in the same situation.

  Their gazes locked. When he moved toward her, Raine stepped back. He didn't stop. In an instant, her breath was on Miguel's face, and his hands on her shoulders. "There is no need to fight this."

  Raine looked up at him and his arms naturally slipped around her waist. She noticed the shirt he wore was wet with perspiration and it clung to his bulging muscles.

  What was she doing, a member of the royal family, allowing a strange man—a revolutionary—an enemy of France—to possess her? She ought to be repelled by his touch, but she wasn't. All she wanted was to arch her back against him repeatedly.

  Raine forced herself to think of her father; she couldn't let this man get to her. She had allowed things to go far enough. Then she decided that she had best remove herself from this situation with haste. She moved to leave Miguel's embrace but he would not allow it.

  She raised her chin a notch. "I-I will not give in to your seductions again. If you force me to remain with you...you will have to force me every time."

  Miguel's eyes changed and dark fury seemed to etch the lines of his face. "Maybe, but I think not. All the women I choose give themselves to me willingly, just as you did," he said.

  Raine blanched and shoved him away from her. She'd never been more insulted or embarrassed or confused in her whole life. He'd spoken with such disgust. It had never occurred to her that he hadn't been taken with her, as she was with him—that he might think her nothing more than another one of his many conquests.

  That broke the dam, it seemed, and great racking sobs came from Raine and the tears flowed copiously. Miguel reached out to her then, but she would be damned if she'd let him comfort her now.

  Raine quickly moved out of his reach. "Y-you can go to the devil!"

  Before Miguel could respond, she turned on her heels, lifted her skirts, and fled, as if she really meant to go out into the frontier alone.

  Dammit!

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  "Raine!" Miguel called after her.

  She kept running.

  Fine!

  Go, then!

  Besides, if he kept her with him she'd only end up being more trouble than she was worth.

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  Chapter Five

  Five minutes later Miguel, wishing he had a drink, started to go after her. In another second, he decided the hell with it, she wouldn't go far. Something would frighten her royal butt and she'd be back. He snatched the Stetson from his head and slapped it against his thigh. It was just as well she'd stalked off, because he needed time to cool his temper.

  Feeling a good deal better about the whole thing, he went to feed and water his horse. Hell, he'd wager that before he was finished Raine would be crawling back with her tail between those shapely little legs of hers. He groaned, wondering how a simple gun-run had turned into something so difficult.

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  Not more than a hundred feet away, Raine swiped at her tears with the back of a dirty hand. Hot and discouraged, it hadn't taken long for her to realize that she had no idea of where she was going.

  As a rule she despised whining women and never allowed herself to cry. But, considering what had happened to her today, she felt entitled to a few sniffles. Her predicament was inconceivable, but it had happened nonetheless.

  Several times she had to stop and dump the sand out of her shoes. All this running was making her perspire and itch, and the hot sun overhead made her wish she still had her hat. Her luck had definitely run out.

  Raine realized she was becoming desperate, but she knew that when darkness fell, she'd be even more frantic. Then what would she do?

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  As she plodded her way, it occurred to her that she hadn't been thinking clearly since she had the idea to jump from the stage. Then she'd compounded her problems by stomping off into the middle of nowhere. She didn't know why she'd done it, other than wanting to get away from that man.

  However, now that she was out in the desert alone, with darkness only a short time away, Miguel Chavez's company wouldn'tbe nearly so offending.

  Raine stopped and scanned the bleak landscape around her. There was nothing near to run to. Only wilderness. She had no idea where she was, or in what direction the fort lay, and she was thirsty and hungry. Her entire body ached and was covered with dirt.

  Papa, she thought with a sigh. He'd be searching for her just as soon as he received word that she was missing. Maybe, if she could manage to stay in the area, he would find her. The realization made her feel a little better.

  She sniffled a couple of times and wiped her eyes dry with her shirtsleeve. Yes, soon her father and his soldiers would come for her and this terrible nightmare would be over. Unfortunately, she also knew Miguel had been right. She needed to go back and stay with him. But, she told herself, only until her father came for her. She had not other choice—unless, she could use this opportunity to gain his trust. Why not? If he th
ought that she cared for him just a little, then maybe.. .Of course she didn't really have feelings for him. She knew that, but under the circumstances, she'd do just about anything!

  A coyote howled, and Raine took off running.

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  Miguel stopped pacing and kicked the ground with the toe of his worn boot. Where the devil was she?

  Raine hadn't meant to try to escape. No, of course not. She couldn't be that stupid. Still, he wouldn't be surprised if the stubborn woman had meant to escape, after all. From what he'd already witnessed, she had enough nerve to try it.

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  It occurred to him that Raine might very well be lost. What if she was hurt? What if she'd been found by a wolf? It was a distinct possibility that unnerved him even more. Although he had definite doubts that even a wolf would want to tangle with the likes of her, he was becoming more than a little concerned. Then he reasoned, he'd have heard her screaming if something had attempted to do her harm.

  However, the idea she might be hurt continued to nag at him. Mother of God, he actually cared what happened to her. But he'd forgotten how to care.

  Do not even think it! She is French. Pretentious and privileged. And no doubt, scared to death. Damn that woman! Should he go looking for her or to stay right where he was?

  His hands began to sweat. His brow, too, and not because of the heat, but because she had been gone such a long time.

  Miguel shook his head. He thought he'd killed enough of the pursuing bandits to scare the remaining ones off for good, but he wasn't taking any chances. He never took chances. That was what insured his survival.

  Then it occurred to him that if Raine had gotten herself lost in the desert, she'd never find her way back to him in the dark, not even if she wanted to. And night out here wasn't just as black as pitch, but also colder than a whore's heart!

  With a low curse Miguel went looking for her. Though he was half Spanish, the skills of his Indian heritage ran deep in his blood, and he moved with a conscious effort at silence. It was simply a necessary way of life for him. Luckily, with his skills for tracking it didn't take him long to find her. He paused, going down on one knee, to watch her silently.